


The Mage Regents

by GretchenSinister



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:49:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21907759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GretchenSinister/pseuds/GretchenSinister
Summary: Original Prompt: "I was thinking about how the Guardians actually spend little time with children. So at the beginning of the movie, when Manny revives Jack, he makes the boy start out as an infant. He sends the Guardians to collect the baby and they have to raise him.Years later, and Pitch’s plans are in development or action, but he sees Jack Frost for the first time. Jack grew until he reached the physicality his human self died at (18) and then stopped. Jack does sort of look like he could be North’s son, and so Pitch introduces himself/tries to get Jack to join him/generally just be nasty.However, Jack has seen Pitch around and has been harbouring a crush on him since he was about 15..[cut for length]"I couldn’t seem to make this work without creating an AU.So: fantasy universe: MIM and the guardians are the unkillable magical rulers of various different kingdoms. MIM has made himself the emperor, a long time ago. Mages are immortal, but only those land-bound to a mage spring are unkillable. North was given Jack as a foundling to raise, and now Jack is newly a mage. Pitch was driven from his land (that he’s bound to) fifteen years ago, and now he’s acting to get it back.
Relationships: Jack Frost/Pitch Black
Kudos: 18
Collections: Blackice Short Fics





	The Mage Regents

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 3/19/2016
> 
> Here's the rest of the prompt: "Cue awkward!Pitch trying to get the boy to cease flirting because that’s not why he’s here, dammit. Unfortunately, Jack is pretty and rather charming and spoiled and the Guardians will be angry if he makes him cry and it’s all very difficult.
> 
> Bonus:
> 
> 1\. Jack in a Russian hat like North’s - at some point.  
> 2\. Jack happily still cuddles with Bunny, who wouldn’t mind except the others tease him for it.  
> 3\. Tooth crying over Jack’s beautiful teeth over the years.  
> 4\. Jack being fluent in Russian and Sandy’s messages.  
> 5\. A mixture of horrified and laid back Guardians in response to Pitch and Jack."

The mage regents of the Moon Empire considered the missive before them.  
  
“King Pitch isn’t serious about this offer of diplomacy,” Aster said. He nodded towards Sandy. “His spies have seen Pitch building up a huge spectral army. He means for there to be a war, and I frankly think he sent this just to insult us.”  
  
“Pitch always has at least one layer more than that in his plans,” Toothiana said. “And while I don’t think you’re wrong that Pitch is going to make a war impossible to avoid, I think that if we turn down his request to meet with us, then there will always be the question—asked of us—if we couldn’t have done more to stop it before it started. I don’t want that question to be at the backs of the minds of our armies. _Especially_ when three of our four armies are flesh and bone.”  
  
 _With enough time to stall, I might be able to catch up to Pitch regarding the numbers in his spectral army,_ Sandy signed. _But it is difficult, because Pitch does not actually have a kingdom to rule at the same time. He’s alone in the Black Wilderness, with not a single citizen or subject to worry about._  
  
“Speaking of which,” Bunny said, “do we think the former fearlings are likely to come to Pitch’s aid when he attacks?”  
  
“The emperor has taken control of Pitch’s former kingdom entirely at this time,” said North. “All his letters have assured us that the people of that land are grateful to be part of the Moon Empire. I can see no reason for him not to tell the truth.”  
  
“But we’ve lived through joining the Moon Empire ourselves,” Toothiana pointed out. “And we must remember that even though we all remained as the land-bound rulers of our kingdoms, there were still many, many people opposed to the idea. And the fearlings have only been part of the Moon Empire for fifteen years or so.”  
  
 _Sometimes I wonder…_ Sandy began, _that is to say, I share a border with the fearlings' country. They were not particularly troublesome. The land is not nearly as fertile as Bunny’s or Toothiana’s, nor is it as rich in metals or wood as North’s. It doesn’t have the innate magic reserves of my own land—as we’ve been informed, most of that wealth seems to lie in Pitch’s person. The only things that it had to distinguish itself were its incredible number of difficult to pass mountains—and the fact that it was the last kingdom on this continent to not belong to the Moon Empire._  
  
“What are you saying, Sandy?” North asked.  
  
 _Nothing that can be written down,_ Sandy signed, a mild expression on his face. This was, in some ways, a statement of fact. The proper orthography of the signs of the Sand people was kept quite secret, and none of the others knew it. But the fact that he wouldn’t give a straight answer—well, it could at least be partially excused by the other fact that he rarely did if he could help it.  
  
“Regardless,” Toothiana said after a pause, “it’s highly likely that Pitch’s spectral army would not be as strongly opposed if they attacked through his former kingdom. And, as Sandy mentioned, the mountains are extremely difficult to pass and scale. They’d make a nearly intractable stronghold for an army like Pitch’s, especially if we’re going to fight him with soldiers that can only be augmented by our magic so much. I say we accept his offer for a parlay—especially because he’s offering to come here. It will help delay him at least a bit, it doesn’t take us away from the empire, and it will help us figure out exactly what his plan is.”  
  
“I agree,” said North. “If Pitch visits, that will be a good opportunity to have Jack meet him, as well. Since Jack is now a mage in his own right, he should be personally aware of the matters of the empire and the kingdom.”  
  
 _I also think we should meet with Pitch._  
  
“I remain in dissent, but not to block,” Aster said.  
  


* * *

  
  
A response to the letter and an agreement to the date of meeting was sent off within the hour. The agreement stipulated that Pitch must come himself, not as a shadow, giving him very little time to plan before his ship would have to set out.  
  
When he did arrive, though, he docked early on North’s shores, with full retinue—though spectral—as befitted a diplomatic mission.  
  
“He anticipated our answer,” Aster said to Jack. He paced restlessly upon the top of the wall, while Jack lounged within the crenelations. “That’s not a good thing, when he already has the superior force.”  
  
With the recklessness of a new immortal, Jack leaned out to peer at the black ship with his now much keener eyes. “It looks like a fast ship. Maybe the spectral sailors just sailed it really well, especially because the ship would have been really light.”  
  
Bunny plucked him off the wall. “You’re North’s son, all right. But trust me. It pays to be suspicious of Pitch. Once you meet him, you’ll see.”  
  
“Tonight, right? Since he’s here, we can’t put off the official meeting, can we?”  
  
“Unfortunately, no.”  
  


* * *

  
  
The banquet to welcome Pitch was, in terms of attendance, not much of a banquet. None of Pitch’s retinue ate, and so to avoid an improper showing of force against a diplomatic guest, only the mage regents, Jack, and one or two of each’s most trusted confidants were present. At the high table, protracted silences were common and excruciating—at least for the mage regents. Pitch showed no sign of discomfort.  
  
“I must say,” he commented, after a particularly long silence, “that this current scene doesn’t match my previous recollections of the house of North. Why so grave and still? The food seems excellent to me, as does the wine, though perhaps, as I have travelled here directly from my new household, I am not the best judge of such matters. But then…perhaps it is simply your responsibilities that have made at least you, North, more somber.” His eyes flicked to Jack, who was staring at him not with suspicion like the others, but with an open and frank curiosity. Strange. But, then again, the boy had just been made a mage. Perhaps he simply wasn’t used to how different things looked through mage’s eyes. As for his recent transformation, however, that might be useful. “Did you expect the Emperor to command you to train that foundling child as not simply an enchanter but as a true mage? What a curious thing to do, especially when there are no unbound mage springs anywhere on the continent. Surely the Emperor knows that he hasn’t severed my tie to Scoria simply by making me leave it physically. And he hasn’t pursued me either…I wonder, North, at the Emperor finding a successor for you, when, as far as any of us know, you’ll never need one. Does the Emperor have a secret? If so, why’d he bother with a war rather than an assassin for me?”  
  
“I was not commanded to train Jack as a mage,” North said stonily. “His talent demanded that this be so. And even if he is not land-bound, he is still—”  
  
“Immortal? Yes…” Pitch smiled. “But not as immortal as you or me.”  
  
“Surely you don’t think that gives you such a significant advantage over me,” Jack said, leaning slightly forward. He was smiling back at Pitch, still watching him closely.  
  
Pitch’s mind raced. This was such a clumsy thing to say, and it had nothing to do with what he had been getting at, had nothing to do with resisting his efforts to make the regents suspicious of the Emperor, and…oh. Oh, wait. Was the boy flirting with him? Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sandy frowning deeply and Aster looking like he was going to try cutting off Pitch’s head then and there, for all the good it would do. So, perhaps it was. And unplanned, too. Now, Pitch wasn’t sure what some callow youth would see in him, but, well, wouldn’t it throw a massive wrench into everyone’s plans if the attraction seemed mutual? Pitch relaxed, letting his smile grow less knifelike. “Indeed,” he said, “but with what you must know of my reputation, surely you must expect me to press every slight advantage I have.”  
  
“Are you telling me you’re dangerous?”  
  
“Only a little more than you, young mage, but I assure you it will make all the difference.” He delicately began cutting a fruit in order to show off his long, slender fingers to their best advantage. Would this distract Jack? When would the others take over the conversation? Things should not become obvious on the first evening, though with someone so young he would have to have a fast-acting plan because Jack would not be patient, there was only so much time before he realized Pitch had no designs on him at all.  
  
At least, not the ones he thought.  
  
He couldn’t help but glance again at Sandy, quickly—faster than a new mage would notice—to see his frown had changed to an expression of bafflement, and, once more, suspicion. Well, of course the Ruler of the Sands would recognize this act as the manure it was, but, then again, he hadn’t said anything yet. Perhaps he wouldn’t want to explain. Or perhaps he wasn’t enamored of the deposing of a land-bonded mage for reasons that the Emperor hadn’t made clear.  
  
Either way. Pitch was sure he could use it to get his kingdom back. He was determined to use anything, to do anything, to get his kingdom back.


End file.
